Secrets: The Best in Women's Erotic Romance, Vol. 10 [Paperback]

Dominique Sinclair (Author), Bonnie Hamre (Author), Jeanie Cesarini (Author), Kathryn Anne Dubois (Author)

Book Description

Series: Secrets | Publication Date: July 31, 2004

Private Eyes Dominique Sinclair

When a mystery man captivates private investigator Nicolla Black during a stakeout, she discovers that her no-seduction rule is bending under the pressure of long denied passion. She agrees to an erotic seduction, but he demands her total surrender.

The Ruination of Lady Jane Bonnie Hamre

To avoid her upcoming marriage to a man more than twice her age, Lady Jane Ponsonby-Maitland flees straight into the arms of Havyn Attercliffe. When she begs him to ruin her rather than turn her over to her odious fiancé, he can’t refuse. But when their lust is sated, will the Lady now be willing to wed?

Code Name:Kiss Jeanie Cesarini

Agent Lily Justiss is on an official mission to defend her country against terrorists—-a mission that requires giving up her virginity as a sex slave. But as her master takes possession of her body, only desire for Seth Blackthorn, her commanding officer, fuels her mind. Now all Seth can think about is Lily’s safety . . . and making her his own.

The Sacrifice Kathryn Anne Dubois Lady Anastasia Bedovier is three days from taking her vows as a Nun. Before she denies her sensuality forever, she wants to experience pleasure. Count Maxwell, the infamous Lord of Pleasure, who is known for his mastery of dark, sexual secrets, is the perfect man to initiate her into erotic delight. But can they forget the intense passion that still inflames them?

Editorial Reviews

Review

... touch our secret and deepest fantasies. ...you are sure to enjoy SECRETS,10. All this reviewer can say is WOW!! -- THE BEST REVIEWS*****

...well-drawn characters and dynamic storylines. ... fulfills the expectations in a "Secrets" book:romance and eroticism at its best!! -- FALLEN ANGEL REVEIWS*****

Secrets 10, erotic dance through medieval castles, sultan's palaces, the English countryside and expensive hotel suites, explodes with passion-filled pages. -- ROMANTIC TIMES BOOKclub ****

From the Publisher

Dominique Sinclair Private Eyes

Top Private Investigator Niccola Black is use to tracking down adulterous spouses, after all she’d had one of her own. But when a mystery man captures her absolute attention during a stakeout, she discovers that her no seduction rule is bending under the pressure of the long denied passion within her. The problem is she doesn’t even know his name and the stakes are bigger than she imagined. He wants more than an erotic seduction, he wants her total surrender to pleasure.

Bonnie Hamre The Ruination of Lady Jane

Lady Jane Ponsonby-Maitland disappeared when she learned of her upcoming marriage to a man more than twice her age. Havyn Attercliffe was sent to retrieve his brother’s ward before word gets out among the ton, but when she begs him to ruin her rather than turn her over to her odious fiancé, how can he refuse? He’s gathered more than prestige and money on his travels to the East Indies, and Lady Jane is a woman made for demonstrating his skills and knowledge of Kama—ultimate seduction. But when their passionate ruse comes to a close, will the Lady be willing to be wed or will she take her newfound erotic education elsewhere?

Jeanie Cesarini Code Name: Kiss

Agent Lily Justiss would do anything to defend her country against terrorists, including giving her virginity away on an undercover mission as a sex slave. But even as her master takes possession, there is only one thing that fuels her desire—fantasies of Seth Blackthorn, her commanding officer. Seth thought he was in control until he watched Lily discover her newfound skills during Operation Kiss. Now all he can think about is the flaxen-haired woman he wants to make his own once he gets her out of harm’s way.

Kathryn Anne Dubois The Sacrifice

Lady Anastasia Bedovier is three days away from taking her vows as a Nun, but decadent, sensual dreams force her to consider that her sacrifice of chastity might mean little until she has experienced the passion she will deny. In the dead of night she goes to Count Maxwell, the infamous Lord of Pleasure, who is known for his mastery of dark, sexual secrets. In one erotic night, she learns the heights of sensual pleasure and flees. Ian Maxwell, Lord de Ville, thought he was immune from love, but the nameless novice that warmed his bed has proved his undoing, and despite his desperate search, he can’t reach her. Two years later when they are brought together at a feast to celebrate the upcoming marriage of his uncle and Anastasia, can either of them forget the intense passion that still inflames them?

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Red Sage Pub Inc; Vol. 10 edition (July 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097545160X
• ISBN-13: 978-0975451601
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #913,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passon, sensuality and sizzle!, September 22, 2004

By 

Cait Mitchell (Northwest USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets: The Best in Women's Erotic Romance, Vol. 10 (Paperback)

I loved one of the stories in this collection, liked one, disliked one and was left cold by the fourth, but all four authors display a mastery of the genre. Their stories are well-written, fully fleshed, and fit their individual genres.

The Ruination of Lady Jane by Hamre is my favorite. I loved the relationship between the characters, both past and present, the wordplay, the love play, but mostly I loved the delightful combination of the traditional Regency comedy of manners with sizzling yet tender erotic scenes and a wonderfully romantic, satisfying conclusion. True romantica, a definite keeper. 5 stars and more if there were any!

Next, I liked Sinclair's Private Eyes for the undercurrents between the characters, the mystery and the passionate scenes. 4 stars here.

I had ambivalent reactions to The Sacrifice by Dubois. First I was intrigued, then appalled, and finally somewhat satisfied by the ending. 3 stars.

Unfortunately, the choice of subject matter and characterizations in Cesarini's Code Name: Kiss struck me as very difficult to portray with a positive note. I'm sure that the author intended to do so, but world events precluded that. Nonetheless, Cesarini has a gift for words and sensual writing that should have made this an excellent offering. 2 stars for this one.

Yet 5 stars overall to the 10th volume from Red Sage. Looking forward to more!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hamre and Sinclair wrote sizzling novellas!, March 9, 2005

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Secrets: The Best in Women's Erotic Romance, Vol. 10 (Paperback)

I loved A Lady's Quest, the sizzling historical romantica in Secrets, Volume One, and had looked forward to reading another story by Bonnie Hamre. I picked up Secrets, Volume Ten, when someone told me that Hamre had written another sultry Regency novella. The Ruination of Lady Jane, though not as good as A Lady's Quest, is a delectable reading experience. Lady Jane Ponsonby-Maitland runs away from her ward because she does not want to marry the man he has chosen for her. So her ward sends his gorgeous, adventurous brother to track down and bring back Lady Jane. However, Havyn Attercliffe had not anticipated seeing the once unattractive girl turned into a beautiful, curvaceous woman. When she begs him to ruin her for her fiancé, Havyn cannot refuse. But he gets more than he had bargained for. I loved the precise way the author grasps that particular time setting. I have read many historical novels with blatant anachronism, and this one is more accurate in all accounts. I also love the tantric sex scenes and the different positions the couple experimented with. The heroine did not go from an innocent virgin to a borderline nympho like in many books. The transition is far more subtle and goes well with Jane's insubordinate nature. The Ruination of Lady Jane is my favorite out of the two novellas I read in this anthology. The other novella I read was...

Private Eyes by Dominique Sinclair. Nicolla Black is a PI who specializes in catching cheating husbands. She hadn't anticipated running into a dark, mysterious and gorgeous stranger during one of her stakeouts. The chemistry between them is immediate. As she continues to run into him, she realized she could not resist his dark charms. And then a game of seduction and surrender ensues -- with an interesting mystery plot that captures you until the final page. Based on this novella, Dominique Sinclair is a great author and I will read her other stuff. The sexual tension between the protagonists is so palpable you can almost cut it with a knife. I love when there is intense sexual tension between the two main characters! Sinclair supplies the tension and a whole lot more. I have not read the stories by Jeanie Cesarini and Kathryn Anne Dubois. I shall edit this review when and if I read their stories in the near future. But I do recommend this anthology based on the two novellas I read. I don't know about the other two authors, but the stories by Hamre and Sinclair are worth giving this volume a whirl.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good and bad stories, November 23, 2008

By 

D. K. Stokes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets: The Best in Women's Erotic Romance, Vol. 10 (Paperback)

** "Private Eyes" by Dominique Sinclair.

*blinks* Well. That surprised me. My least favorite story in the anthology, and most everyone else cited this as the best story. How very odd.

I guess the story itself is pretty entertaining--private eye Nikki specializes in catching cheating husbands, and between that and her mother's past, she has a low opinion of men and of relationships. But a mysterious man keeps running into her, and there is a pretty clever misunderstanding-type plot between them.

However. I absolutely could not get past the writing. I wanted to take the author's (or the editor's--I'm not picky) thesaurus away and bury it. Seriously purple prose, and some misused words that set my teeth on edge (the heroine thinking that "her body was scintillating after a night of vivid dreams"? I don't think so.)

**** "The Ruination of Lady Jane" by Bonnie Hamre.

This was a sexy Regency romance. Lady Jane's guardian has arranged a marriage for her with and old, thrice-widowed man, and she, quite sensibly, IMO, has run off. The guardian asks his younger brother Havyn, who remembers Jane as a teenager with spots (zits, for those of you unacquainted with Regency lingo), to go find her.

He does find her, and she's definitely improved with age. What's more, she begs him to "ruin" her so she won't have to marry the old man.

It's a nice story, particularly if you enjoy the Regency period--it's just a little predictable, also particularly if you enjoy the Regency period. The sex scenes were quite sensual, even though I found the Kama Sutra references to be a little self-conscious.

***** "Code Name: Kiss" by Jeanie Cesarini.

Wow. This novella pushed every one of my buttons: spies, and friends turning into lovers, plus a hefty emotional punch. It was well-written, and I was on pins and needles through the entire story.

And of course, everyone else hated it. I'm seeing a trend.

Lily is a spy, and her mission is to infiltrate a terrorist camp as a sex slave, make contact with a double agent, and through him get close enough to the leader to plant a tracking device on his skin.

Seth is the agent in control of the mission, which he's leading via video feeds back at headquarters. Both Seth and Lily have a thing for each other, but due to their positions, neither has acted on it.

The story alternates chapters between Seth and Lily, keeping track of the mission time, which adds tension. Lily's chapters are in first person and are very deep POV, which is very affecting. Even though Seth's chapters are in third person, his emotional turmoil as he's forced to watch from a distance as the woman he's realized he's in love with has sex with another man is vividly clear.

"Code Name: Kiss" is emotionally wrenching, and better yet, the sex is an integral part of the story.

I was surprised to see in the "about the author" that Jeanie Cesarini = Jeanie London. I guess I'm going to take those recommendations for Jeanie London's books seriously now.

***½ "The Sacrifice" by Kathryn Anne Dubois.

Anastasia is about to become a nun, but she has definite ideas about those vows. She believes that for the vows to truly be meaningful, she has to know what she's giving up. For example, she was raised in a wealthy family, so taking a vow of poverty has meaning. However, she has no knowledge of carnal pleasures, so taking a vow of chastity is, to her mind, meaningless.

So she sets out to change that by going to the castle of the notorious debaucher Count Maxwell. It's a bit of a goofy premise, but I do rather like her reasoning about the meaning of sacrifice.

The first half of the story is sensual and sexy, but then it turns into something else. I found myself irritated that the oddly principled, determined young woman of the first half of the story turned into such a coward in the second half. It ended well, but I didn't quite get over that.